Legal Aid of Manasota distances itself from embattled nonprofit

Linda Harradine,left, executive director of Legal Aid of Manasota, speaks during an interview about the importance of volunteer attorneys. Also pictured from left are Legal Aid of Manasota members Bryan Trimyer, immediate past president; Larry Eger, vice president; and Charlie Ann Syprett, development director. The Sarasota-based group provides free legal services to low-income people and has been confused recently with Gulfcoast Legal Services.

Published: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 5:35 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 at 5:35 p.m.

SARASOTA - Legal Aid of Manasota's board of directors wants to put some distance between their nonprofit, which is based here, and the embattled Gulfcoast Legal Services, which is headquartered in St. Petersburg.

Facts

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To donate, register as a pro bono attorney or volunteer with Legal Aid of Manasota, call (941) 366-0038 or go to legalaidofmanasota.org.

Founded in 1991, the Legal Aid of Manasota has served thousands of underprivileged clients. Last year alone the nonprofit's volunteer attorneys donated more the 5,700 hours of free legal advice, worth in excess of an estimated $1.1 million, all on a budget of less than $700,000.

Legal Aid of Manasota has a different structure than Gulfcoast. It has different oversight, different funding sources and a somewhat different mission. It also has none of the internal dissonance that has recently plagued Gulfcoast and cast it into the center of a media spotlight.

Gulfcoast's new executive director, Kathleen Mullin, has drawn attention from the region's legal and nonprofit community after firing Elizabeth Boyle, the longtime head of Gulfcoast's Sarasota office.

Mullin has refused to comment about the burgeoning controversy, as has James Fox, a professor at Stetson University College of Law and president of Gulfcoast's board of directors.

Boyle maintains that her firing was partly because of her decision to provide legal assistance to Gina Ruiz, a 29-year-old quadriplegic whose case Mullin ordered Boyle to abandon after Ruiz already was a Gulfcoast client.

Legal Aid of Manasota is picking up many of these former Gulfcoast clients, and a few of its former volunteer attorneys.

Linda Harradine, Legal Aid of Manasota's executive director, said the personnel issues facing Gulfcoast could not occur at her nonprofit because of its different structure.

“We recruit volunteer attorneys and support them — get them to take cases,” Harradine said. “Supporting volunteer pro bono attorneys — that is historically our niche.”

While Gulfcoast uses staff attorneys to provide legal assistance to the indigent, Legal Aid of Manasota uses volunteers who work for free, or pro bono.

“We do have a few attorney's on staff, but our primary mission is to support pro bono work,” Harradine said.

The nonprofit utilizes more than 430 volunteer lawyers. Harradine's program screens the clients in advance, to make sure they qualify for aid, and averages 35 new intake appointments per week.

Legal Aid of Manasota is recognized by the courts as the “official” legal aid provider for the region.

“To put it into perspective, Legal Aid of Manasota has the imprimatur of the Chief Judge, pursuant to the Supreme Court mandate that said lawyers have obligations to fulfil their oath as lawyers — part of which is to give of their time,” said Circuit Judge Lee Haworth, who co-chairs the Pro Bono Advisory Board. “Legal Aid of Manasota has always been the official legal aid support agency.”

“The big advantage of having a local presence is the ability to partner with other organizations and nonprofits,” said Circuit Judge Charles Williams, the other co-chair.

Charlie Ann Syprett, the group's development director, said each volunteer attorney goes through a vetting process, and is only assigned cases that match their area of expertise.

Public Defender Larry Eger, vice president of the board, said the public benefits from a symbiotic relationship that exists between the volunteer attorneys and the nonprofit: Legal Aid of Manasota provides free training to its members.

“We're training attorneys for the private sector just as much as we're providing volunteers,” Eger said.

“A perfect example is the foreclosure crisis,” Harradine said. “We provided free training if the lawyer agreed to take a pro bono case, which allowed us to assist so many clients.”

“When we got hit with this tsunami of foreclosure cases, we put out a message in our newsletter that we needed help, and we had several hundred attorneys coming forward,” said Judge Haworth.

While Legal Aid of Manasota does receive some grants, what it really needs is the flexibility of individual donations.

“Grants have guidelines, and it's almost a full-time job to meet grant requirements,” said Stacy Dillard-Spahn, president of the board. “We need cash in order to better meet the needs of the community.”

Said Dillard-Spahn: “We're the unsung hero of volunteer lawyer services in our community. You see attorneys working through legal aid in the press. We remain the silent partner, supporting them and letting those attorneys shine in the limelight.”

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - Legal Aid of Manasota's board of directors wants to put some distance between their nonprofit, which is based here, and the embattled Gulfcoast Legal Services, which is headquartered in St. Petersburg.</p><p>Founded in 1991, the Legal Aid of Manasota has served thousands of underprivileged clients. Last year alone the nonprofit's volunteer attorneys donated more the 5,700 hours of free legal advice, worth in excess of an estimated $1.1 million, all on a budget of less than $700,000.</p><p>Legal Aid of Manasota has a different structure than Gulfcoast. It has different oversight, different funding sources and a somewhat different mission. It also has none of the internal dissonance that has recently plagued Gulfcoast and cast it into the center of a media spotlight. </p><p>Gulfcoast's new executive director, Kathleen Mullin, has drawn attention from the region's legal and nonprofit community after firing Elizabeth Boyle, the longtime head of Gulfcoast's Sarasota office.</p><p>Mullin has refused to comment about the burgeoning controversy, as has James Fox, a professor at Stetson University College of Law and president of Gulfcoast's board of directors.</p><p>Boyle maintains that her firing was partly because of her decision to provide legal assistance to Gina Ruiz, a 29-year-old quadriplegic whose case Mullin ordered Boyle to abandon after Ruiz already was a Gulfcoast client.</p><p>Mullin slashed staffing at Gulfcoast's Sarasota office and fired dozens of volunteer attorneys.</p><p>Legal Aid of Manasota is picking up many of these former Gulfcoast clients, and a few of its former volunteer attorneys.</p><p>Linda Harradine, Legal Aid of Manasota's executive director, said the personnel issues facing Gulfcoast could not occur at her nonprofit because of its different structure.</p><p>“We recruit volunteer attorneys and support them — get them to take cases,” Harradine said. “Supporting volunteer pro bono attorneys — that is historically our niche.”</p><p>While Gulfcoast uses staff attorneys to provide legal assistance to the indigent, Legal Aid of Manasota uses volunteers who work for free, or pro bono.</p><p>“We do have a few attorney's on staff, but our primary mission is to support pro bono work,” Harradine said. </p><p>The nonprofit utilizes more than 430 volunteer lawyers. Harradine's program screens the clients in advance, to make sure they qualify for aid, and averages 35 new intake appointments per week. </p><p>Legal Aid of Manasota is recognized by the courts as the “official” legal aid provider for the region.</p><p>“To put it into perspective, Legal Aid of Manasota has the imprimatur of the Chief Judge, pursuant to the Supreme Court mandate that said lawyers have obligations to fulfil their oath as lawyers — part of which is to give of their time,” said Circuit Judge Lee Haworth, who co-chairs the Pro Bono Advisory Board. “Legal Aid of Manasota has always been the official legal aid support agency.” </p><p>“The big advantage of having a local presence is the ability to partner with other organizations and nonprofits,” said Circuit Judge Charles Williams, the other co-chair. </p><p>Charlie Ann Syprett, the group's development director, said each volunteer attorney goes through a vetting process, and is only assigned cases that match their area of expertise.</p><p>“We don't want a land-use lawyer helping someone with a domestic violence petition,” she said. </p><p>Public Defender Larry Eger, vice president of the board, said the public benefits from a symbiotic relationship that exists between the volunteer attorneys and the nonprofit: Legal Aid of Manasota provides free training to its members.</p><p>“We're training attorneys for the private sector just as much as we're providing volunteers,” Eger said. </p><p>“A perfect example is the foreclosure crisis,” Harradine said. “We provided free training if the lawyer agreed to take a pro bono case, which allowed us to assist so many clients.” </p><p>“When we got hit with this tsunami of foreclosure cases, we put out a message in our newsletter that we needed help, and we had several hundred attorneys coming forward,” said Judge Haworth. </p><p>While Legal Aid of Manasota does receive some grants, what it really needs is the flexibility of individual donations.</p><p>“Grants have guidelines, and it's almost a full-time job to meet grant requirements,” said Stacy Dillard-Spahn, president of the board. “We need cash in order to better meet the needs of the community.” </p><p>Said Dillard-Spahn: “We're the unsung hero of volunteer lawyer services in our community. You see attorneys working through legal aid in the press. We remain the silent partner, supporting them and letting those attorneys shine in the limelight.”</p>